Islam is the perfect way of life. All types of lotteries or raffles are prohibited according to Quran and sunnah.Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al Ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols, etc.), and Al Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.
With regard to a person’s saying that he only gambles occasionally, this is like one who says that he only commits adultery occasionally, or he only steals occasionally, or he only lies occasionally. Does the fact that he commits that haraam action only rarely means that it is not a sin and that he is not exposed to the wrath of Allaah? How does he know that this rare action will not develop into something that is done more frequently, until it becomes a habit? In fact this is what usually happens, especially in the case of those who are afflicted by gambling. He should fear Allaah and abstain from that which Allaah has forbidden to him.
The reason for prohibiting gambling, lottery and similar methods is that they involve taking away someone else’s money without earning it. In most of these methods, an amount of money is raised by those who participate in a game or a draw, and the prize is thus contributed by them all. Then the winner takes the prize without any particular effort on his part. Millions of pounds or dollars are paid to the one whose card matches the result of a draw done by a machine or a person. All such methods generate ill feelings between the participants, hence, the prohibition.
The speed by which a person gets his income is immaterial, provided that the method followed is legitimate. A businessman may buy a large quantity of a certain commodity today and it is shipped to him from abroad. By the time he receives it, the price of that commodity has risen sharply and there is much demand for it. He sells the entire shipment within a week or a few days, making large profits. This is perfectly legitimate, because there is no cheating, deception or exploitation involved.
When prizes are offered freely, without contributions from the participants or the public, these are normally symbolic. They may be given to promote a certain commodity or to publicize a particular business. Since they are offered by a promoter who asks nothing in return, they are permissible in Islam.
